


Tabala Rasa

by thelazyuncle



Category: B: The Beginning (Anime)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Hallucinations, I'm Bad At Tagging, Insomnia, Mario/Lily/Brian friendship, Recreational Drug Use, Tags Are Hard, They are also really bad at social cues, Wine Mom!Kaela, Yuna and Koku go to college
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 18:22:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18393839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelazyuncle/pseuds/thelazyuncle
Summary: Takes place nearly a month after season one. Lily isn't sleeping, Keith is seeing things, and RIS is divided as a series of new cases develops.





	Tabala Rasa

**Author's Note:**

> ad astra per aspera  
> ad as·tra per as·pe·ra | \ ad-ˈa-strə-ˌpər-ˈa-spə-rə \  
> : to the stars through hardships

Her late breakfast churned angrily in her stomach, the smell of car detergent flooding her nostrils. She palmed the leather of the steering wheel, her hands suddenly gone slick with sweat as she watched the shroud of soapy water slink down the windows of her car. The entire interior was engulfed in a thick darkness as the mechanical whirring of the car wash and heavy waterfall dulled her senses.Inhaling deeply, she lowered her forehead against the wheel, forcing the bile threatening to come up back down into her stomach. Her eyes burned with tears she refused to shed and her flesh was covered in goosebumps, the faint traces of hairs standing erect along the surface of her pale skin. 

A set of perfectly straight teeth lined behind a pair of lips stretched thin into a smile ingrained themselves in her mind. She’d come this far, and it was far too late to try and turn tail, her car’s front tires were already aligned with the track system and had guided her nearly halfway through the wash. 

She darted her tongue over the surface of her cracked lips, trying to ground herself, and forced her gaze onto the woman staring her down in the rear view mirror. Entirely unnerved, Lily could barely recognize what she saw. Heavy bags sat below a pair of large brown bloodshot eyes, her dark hair accentuated her sickly pallor. She’d been gifted with a plethora of sleepless nights on account of three factors: her dreams, her desire to be surrounded by work (which was undoubtedly piling up with nearly half of the RIS team coming back from being sidelined), and her questions about Market Maker were curtailed by anyone she figured had answers to spare. 

All things considered, Lily had looked worse before. Mario and Bran had seen her through thick and thin during their time at the academy, suddenly recalling their early morning trainings and her inability to wake up on time to make herself somewhat presentable. She could manage their scrutiny of her haggard appearance, fairly confident in her acting abilities to pass it off as a poor night’s sleep, which wasn’t too far from the truth. 

Lily unclenched one hand from the steering wheel and raked it through the crown of her head, roughly snagging her fingers in the tangled mess of hair. In a last ditch effort to make herself less scruffy, she let her remaining hand slip from the nine o’clock position of the wheel and into her hair, combing away any remaining kinks and pulling the damp mop of black into a ponytail. Another tug at her hair forced a growl from her pursed lips, her unintentional heavy-handedness serving as a much needed distraction, effectively pushing away the intrusive memories of her time spent with a certain pale skinned, smooth talking mass murder. 

The car shook slightly before lurching forward as the multi-colored brushes descended upon it, the dryer sounding loudly, evaporating droplets from her windshield while the cottony mitts of the brush worked to collect the remaining streaks of water. She waited for the machinery to finish working its way over the length of her vehicle, her ears picking up the heavy thumping of the dryer brushes running along the roof and down the car’s backside. 

The detailing ended with a light tune played from the car wash station’s audio speakers. Reaching for the keys dangling from the ignition with shaking fingers, she swallowed the ball in her throat and started the car. 

Her mind buzzed with incomplete thoughts and a mixture of emotions that refused to be boiled down into anything coherent for her brain to process healthily but she wasted no time dwelling on it, peeling out of the lot with a speed that was entirely unethical unbecoming of an officer of the law. 

She couldn’t tell if she was relieved, scared shit less, ecstatic, or perhaps a mix of all three but before she knew it, her nerves got the best of her and she was forced to pull over five miles out from the car wash. Lily threw up the soup and egg-rice she had for breakfast on the side of the road, which had been relatively free of cars. Wiping her mouth, she got back in the car, sending a quick text to Bran to let him know she'd be running late and would pick up snacks from the bakery as compensation before turning around to drive home. 

She’d arrived at her date with Mario and Bran a quarter to twelve, fifteen minutes later than the agreed upon time, but was equipped with two bags of their favorite breads, two coffees and a cup of milk. She was also less green in the face and her mouth no longer had the lingering smell of vomit although the bags under her eyes persevered. 

“You're late.” Mario frowned, not surprised by her tardiness, knowing punctuality and Lily were antonyms.

“I know but I got us snacks on the way over.” Smiling impishly, Lily raised the brown paper sack and jiggled the contents around. “We can't train on an empty stomach. Plus, I read in an article coffee boosts your performance.”

“Did you get any rugelachs?” Bran called from his seat, leaning slightly over the second floor railing of the gym’s seating section to get a good look at the bag down below. 

“Of course, of course.” Lily grinned, turning to her taller, significantly more fit friend and waggled her brows. “I also got you those danish pastries you like and a few slices of a cinnamon raisin log.” Pivoting on her heel, she climbed the stairs by twos, ignoring the burning sensation of Mario’s gaze on her back as she went. 

Bran was seated all the way at the end of the bench, his legs crossed and his back pressed against the large fixed windows. Like always, he’d been armed with his computer and a handful of other devices sprawled out in front of him as he worked, occasionally plugging in one of the devices to his computer. 

The freckled man granted her the pleasure of a small wave and a brief glance from whatever he was working so diligently on before returning his full attention to his screen. Lily didn’t entirely mind. There was, however, a nugget of jealousy planting itself in the back of her head at the sight of him being so absorbed with work. She didn’t bother to dwell on it though, brushing the irrational emotion away without much thought. Today was her last day of being placed on mandatory leave. Her month and five days of what she shouldn’t refer to as hell was finally up. Bran had been allowed to go back to work about a week ago, forcing Lily to bear the brunt of Mario’s spartan training alone, although it wasn’t much different than when all three of them were together considering the fact Bran always managed to worm his way out of sparring and opting to run extra laps instead. 

She plopped down onto the bench just above the one Bran occupied, setting his cup of coffee to the right of her and within arm’s reach of him before pulling out a steaming red bean bun for herself. She tore into it animatedly despite her lack of appetite. The taste didn’t reach her tongue but the filling burned the inside of her mouth, she’d forgotten they were fresh from the oven. 

“Isn’t that hot?” Bran murmured, side eyeing her as she choked. 

Lily reached for the milk and took a long swig, trying to rack her brain for a response that would dispel the scrutinizing glint in his blue eyes. 

“Of course it is, but this is Lily we’re talking about.” Mario snorted, clearing the last three stairs with little to no effort and taking the spot next to Lily on her left. “She thinks with her stomach first, which is the most likeliest reason she was late in the first place. Which bag is the danish in?”

Bran cracked a smile of his own and shook his head, resuming his typing as Lily scrambled to hand Mario his pastry.

They ate leisurely, discussing an array of topics ranging from work to personal stuff though both seemed to blend together nine times out of ten. The highlight of their conversation was when Bran and Mario shared they had finally managed to find a place closer to work, the apartment space being much larger than either of their old flats. Apparently, Kaela had introduced them to her landlord and talked the pair up so much, the old man had given them a great deal on the space across the hall from her own apartment. Lily figured she was just being nice and Bran thought she was probably tired of them complaining about house hunting while Mario concluded the blonde haired hacker wanted drinking buddies she didn’t have to cross town for. Knowing Kaela, her reasoning was likely a mixture of all three. 

“Have you given any thought to moving out and finding a place close to the station?” Mario asked, evading her non-committal jabs. They’d finished eating about half an hour ago, running a few laps around the relatively empty training gym and had found a place on the sparring mats after stretching. 

“Oh, you were serious?” Lily frowned, instantly regretting her poor choice of words. She relaxed her fists, her eyes wide with sudden realization. “I thought that was just a pep-talk to prepare me for when my mom would kick me out for getting a tattoo.” 

Cursing under her breath, Lily lunged forward, trying to eliminate any unnecessary space the long-limbed man could use to his advantage, and threw a jab towards his chin. She missed yet again but unexpectedly managed to land a backhanded slap to his cheek.

Mario raised a single brow, his eyes glinting with pride as he broke into a boyish grin, “Yes, I was serious and yes that was also a talk to prepare you for the chance of getting put out over your spur of the moment tattoo --widen your stance or else you’re gonna fall on your ass. It’s been almost three weeks, have you at least considered it?”

She paused momentarily, distrust rising in her from the lack of transparency in her superiors about the blatant breaches of authority. She recalled the complete chaos plaguing the city and how the government worked dubiously to gloss over the little truth that had managed to be dragged up to surface from the sea of dysfunction. Picking her words from her thoughts, Lily rolled them around her tongue to form a ripening conclusion. “I probably should start weighing my options soon. The drive can be a bit inconvenient on long work days and it would be better to be close to the station in the case of an emergency, and recently we’ve been having quite a few back-to-back.” She sighed, inching her feet further apart and flexing slightly.

“Well, if you ever do decide to move out, Me and Bran have got extra space in the new apartment.” Mario huffed, rolling his shoulders as they circled one another. “Having a third roommate cuts down the cost of rent. Plus, we’ve got nothing to put in the spare room besides junk, and I would prefer not starting a hoarding closet.”

His proposal actually wasn’t a bad deal at all. She’d have her own space, giving her a whole different flavor of adulthood away from the prying eyes of her parents. Lily would also be thirty minutes closer to work and surrounded by three of her closest coworkers and friends. It was definitely something worth considering so she made a mental note to herself to revisit the idea when she wasn’t busy sparring with a five foot eleven man who’s build was entirely muscle. 

Mario initiated the first move, streaking forward with a speed that did not match his large physique. Anyone who’d never seen him fight before would undoubtedly underestimate his agility but Lily knew better. She shifted backwards, shielding her face with her arm guards as she narrowly evaded the gloved fist aimed towards head. Pivoting sharply on her heel, her elbow struck air. 

A flash of blond and brown caught the corner of her eyes and the next thing Lily knew, she was laid out on the mats in pool of her own sweat staring at the gymnasium skylight. Her eyes fluttered shut, trying to soothe the dull thud starting in the back of her head as she steadied her breathing. All of the muscles in her body ached but the sensation wasn’t exactly unpleasant although she was certain she’d find an ugly bruise or two later tonight when she’d bath thanks to Mario sweeping her legs out from under her.

“You good?” Mario asked, the materials inside the mat shifting under his weight.

She cracked a single eye open, grinning sluggishly at the man as he lowered himself to the floor to sit on his haunches, still managing to tower over her. Up close, she could faintly make out where the back of her hand came into contact with his face, the angry red flames of irritated skin growing darker.

“I should be the one asking you that.” She snorted, raising her hand to point at his swelling cheek before dropping it back to her side, the appendage hitting the ground with a soft thud. “I didn’t think I’d actually land one on you.”

“Eh, I’ll live. I can barely feel it.” 

“Really?” she murmured, both eyes now open.

“Really.” he parroted, a smile pulling at his lips. “It’s going to take more than a slap to --FUCK! Lily what the hell!” Mario batted her prodding hand from his face, cradling his stinging cheek undoubtedly startled by the impish woman’s sudden contact. “Don’t do that, Woman!”

“Oh what, I thought you said it didn’t hurt.” She chortled, rolling onto her stomach to push herself onto her knees. 

“I never said to touch it!” He glared, reaching out and landing a flick to her forehead. “Go rest up in the seating area or something, me and Bran are about to mess around for a bit.” 

Brown eyes flicked to the unsuspecting man hunched over, typing vigorously away at his laptop’s keyboard.

“Does he know that?” Lily doubted the smaller male would be eager to take her place, recalling him grumbling about how he hated being ‘thrown-around-like-a-ragdoll’ on more than one joyous training occasion. 

“He’ll find out soon enough, besides he can’t skirt around sparring since he inserted himself into today’s session.” With a click of his tongue, he pushed of the ground and started towards the man engrossed in whatever was happening on the computer screen at a pace that reminded Lily of a tiger stalking its unsuspecting prey. 

They trained for another hour or two before they’d been politely forced out of the gym, much to Bran and Lily’s relief. The police academy had reserved that half of the gymnasium for the recent class of trainees monthly fitness evaluations, cutting their training day short and sending the trio on their separate ways. 

She didn’t go home right away, figuring she had better get her money’s worth of gas before making the tedious drive back to the outskirts of Old Town. She loitered around downtown in spite of being covered in sweat, taking in the bustle of people going every which way as they frequented the boutiques lining the streets. She had been caught casually looking through window intricately decorated with fascinating knickknacks by the elderly woman minding the register and was roped into coming inside. The small woman waved her down with a gummy smile Lily just couldn’t find the heart to refuse.

She didn’t buy anything, figuring her mother would badger her about bringing junk home and cluttering up the house like she did with father and brother. However, she did browse the shelves noncommittally, holding a polite conversation with the friendly shop owner that became increasingly one-sided as she went. Apparently, the old woman’s husband had passed about a year and a half ago, leaving her to tend to the shop alone. Her children all lived abroad with the exception of her youngest son (a doctor she beamed brightly about) and his family. 

“They’ve been a bit occupied lately,” Gloria frowned, pulling a handkerchief from the front pocket of her smock to wipe away the spittle forming around her mouth. “Antonio and Martina used to be real good about visiting and helping out around the shop on the weekends but they’ve got the clinic to worry about.”

“Oh, I am so sorry to hear that.” Lily said softly, setting down the snow-globe that had ‘New York-1955’ printed in bold letters across a giant red apple. “You mentioned your grandson lives in the city, what about him? Does he stop by at all?”

“Not as much as he used to.” She sighed and leaned back into her boosted chair. “Gabriel’s focused on his schooling. He stops by on occasion to pick up some things and even brings a few of his friends time to time. He wants to be a doctor, y’know --like his father.”

“Ah,” Lily nods, her heart hurting for the lonely old woman. “That’s no easy feat. He must be pretty smart.”

Gloria winked and puffed out her chest proudly as she grinned, reminding Lily of her own father. “He’s one of the smartest fellows I know. That boy is awful good at talking too, he’d make a mighty good business man but he would be an even better doctor. He likes taking care of folks --so much so he forgets to take care of himself at times. I always try to send some money back with him so he can buy himself something good to eat since I know he isn’t getting any home cooked meals where he’s at.” She paused, shaking her head before finding the words to continue. “I swear every time I see him he gets smaller and smaller. It makes me wonder if he’s having a hard time all alone over there.”

“College will do that to people,” Lily offered, silently wondering if she’d made things worse for the woman. “It’s his first time being out on his own and that can be pretty stressful, especially if he’s aiming for med school. Give him some time to really adjust, I’m sure he’ll be back to his old self in the blink of an eye.”

Lily could see her words rolling around the much more experienced woman’s mind, cloudy grey eyes focusing on her person. Maybe she overstepped her bounds or maybe she was reading too into it. 

“Perhaps you’re right about that.” The soft sound of her rasping chuckle sent a wave of relief over Lily. “I guess one becomes more paranoid the older they get.”

The conversation fell off slightly once the pace of the store picked up, a few tourist being caught by the old woman’s smile in the same manner as Lily before others in their group were compelled to take a look around. She hadn’t intended to stay as late as she did but the sudden influx of customers took both her and Gloria by surprise and it wouldn’t have felt right to leave her by herself. Working an antique store required a different type of sales ability than Lily was used to though it was a bit of a reach to compare her father and brother to Gloria. The violin repairmen knew the dedication their clientele had towards upkeep of their instruments, and for lack of better words, were able to use that their advantage. Folks who visited antique shops in the spur of the moment, folks like Lily, had no specific motivation and it made it all the more difficult to convince them to walk away with a purchase. 

“Thank you for sticking around.” Gloria smiled, patting the girl’s arm as she finished putting away what was left of the newspaper used for wrapping delicate items. “It means the world to me.Is there anything you saw today that caught your eye? Depending on what you pick, I’ll try not to charge you a pretty penny for it.” 

“Oh, I couldn’t!” She frowned.

“You most certainly can. Never turn down something you’ve rightfully earned. This is the least I could do for you keeping me company for so long.” 

She could feel a tingling in her cheeks as a pink blush spread across her face, her hand forming a mind of its own as it reached to tug on her bangs to shield her from the gazes of strangers she passed on the street. The street light getting caught on the sterling silver of her new bracelet and reflecting in her eyes, a gift from Gloria. She traced over the simple stamped jewelry, taking in the superficial scratches over the words engraved into the pendant bracelet, a compass rose in its center. 

“Ad astra per aspera.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This chapter really seems all over the place to me, so I can only imagine how well you managed to follow along. I assume its safe to say you stuck around and made it to the end. I just wanted to give a brief disclaimer that I do not own any of the rights to B:the Beginning and this story is purely meant for entertainment purposes only. Please be respectful with my interpretation of certain characters and their relationships as I will probably never be able to do them justice entirely. 
> 
> I will do my best to maintain a decent word count and update regularly if my schedule permits it. I appreciate any and all constructive criticism so please feel free to leave me some feedback. That being said, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Tabala Rasa and will come back to check out the next update.


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